The autumn sun shone brightly and golden chrysanthemums blossomed.

The imperial garden was surrounded by an intoxicating fragrance of flowers. The stream flowed brightly and carried away a few rootless duckweed.

Li Shimin sat on a grand master’s chair beside the stream, leaning against his back and narrowing his eyes, lazily basking in the sun.

The nose was filled with the fragrance of soil and the wet smell of water grass. Behind him, there were a few bases of Taihu Lake stones that had been polished to the point where they could be seen by the flowing water.

The surroundings were very quiet.

In front of him, not far away, Xiao Penzi was sitting on the pu pedestal, seriously drawing with a brush. When Li Shimin asked him to draw a portrait of himself, Xiao Yun agreed. At this time, she would occasionally raise her eyes to look at her father, then lower her head and carefully draw.

After a long time, Li Shimin almost fell asleep. Xiao Yizi chuckled and called out, “Royal Father, I’ve finished drawing!”

Li Shimin woke up and yawned, “Hurry up and show it to Father Emperor.”

Little Prince smiled as he brought the painting over. Li Shimin looked at it and laughed loudly on the spot.

“Xiao Yizi, you’re so naughty! How can you paint the way Father Emperor is asleep?” Li Shimin pointed at the painting and smiled, “Look, you even drew Father Emperor’s belly to such an extent that there is a bird standing on it!”

“Hehe, that little bird is Little Rainbow!” Xiao Yi smiled and said, “Is the painting good, Father?”

“Good, really good.” Li Shimin nodded and chuckled. He touched Little Master’s head and said, “As the saying goes, calligraphy and painting are like their own people. From the thickness of ink and the rigidity of lines, I can tell that you are kind and benevolent.”

At this point, Li Shimin sighed again, as if he was speaking to himself, “Little Prince, you are probably the smartest, cleverest, most obedient, and most docile of my children.”

Although Little Prince was young, he was always extremely intelligent and understanding. She muttered, “Father, do you remember Fourth Brother again?”

Li Shimin smiled slightly, but his smile was a bit bitter. He said, “Not only is it your fourth brother, but also your big brother who was far away in Lingnan, your second brother who died young, and your fifth brother who left his golden body in Famen Temple …”

“Royal Father, why did these royal brothers leave us so early? … Ninth Brother doesn’t come to the palace to see me anymore, and Royal Sister Gaoyang also left. I miss them so much!” Little Prince’s mouth pouted and he muttered sadly, “Royal Father, why did these royal brothers leave us so early?” “Ninth Brother doesn’t come to the palace to see me anymore, and Royal Sister Gaoyang has also left.”

Li Shimin was speechless. He stared at Xiao Shenzi for a long time, his eyes filled with lingering love and sorrow.

“Little Prince, I will marry you to an ordinary family in the future, okay?” Li Shimin suddenly said.

Xiao Yizi blinked her eyes and shook her head, “I don’t want to marry someone.”

Li Shimin laughed, “Why? Girl, when you grow up, you have to marry someone.”

“Because I’m married, I’m going to live with my husband. I’m going to leave Father Emperor.” Xiao Yizi said seriously, “All of the royal sisters are like this. If they get married, they won’t come to the palace to accompany Father Emperor. Imperial Sister Gaoyang, you’re still far away … I don’t want to get married, I want to accompany Father Emperor forever!”

It was as if Li Shimin’s heart had been pierced by a scarlet iron tag, touching the tender land that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time. Instantly, bitterness, emotion, regret, and sadness surged forth.

Her eyes almost turned red and she couldn’t stop her tears.

“Royal Father, what’s wrong with you …”

“Nothing” Li Shimin smiled hard and stroked Xiao Ren’s head. “You know what, Xiao Ren? When your sister Gaoyang was young, she was as clever and obedient as you. She also said the same thing as her father …”

Xiao Yizi listened very seriously. She nodded at first, then shook her head decisively, “Sister Gaoyang will not keep her promise. I won’t. I will definitely keep my promise!”

“Silly girl!” Li Shimin chuckled, and a trace of warmth that he had not seen for a long time appeared in his heart.

Finally, he left the Imperial Court temporarily and was able to return to the harem to recuperate. Here, Li Shimin accompanied Little Prince every day, an old man and a young man inseparable from each other. It was as if Li Shimin could feel that he was a father, not a king of a country, only when he was with Xiaoshi Zi.

It was not the Great Tang Empire’s Monarch who had to make a choice between kinship and imperial career.

The imperial physician decocted the medicine and sent it over. Little Prince took the bowl and fed Li Shimin medicine spoonful by spoonful. He was like coaxing a child. While blowing the medicine spoon, he said, “No bitterness, no bitterness. Father, be obedient. Drink quickly and you will be cured!”

Li Shimin was really’obedient ‘and smiled as he took a sip of the medicine.

When the palace servants and eunuchs saw this scene, they all smiled warmly like sunshine, like autumn chrysanthemums blooming in the imperial garden.

Just as Li Shimin finished his medicine, Li Ke came while Li Shimin was gargling his mouth with tea.

“Third Brother, you’re here!”

Li Ke laughed heartily, “Little Nian’er, you’re accompanying Father Emperor again! How is it? Did Father Emperor drink medicine today?”

“I’ve already drunk it, Father Emperor is very obedient!” Little Prince smiled, revealing his two little tiger fangs and said, “Third Brother, is the village chief back yet?”

Li Ke was stunned for a moment before smiling again. He squatted down and prepared to carry Xiao Yizi.

Xiao Yun suddenly took two steps back and said, “No!”

“What’s the matter?” Li Shimin and Li Ke were both stunned.

“Third brother is a boy, I’m a girl, I can’t hug him!” Xiao Yun said seriously.

Li Shimin and Li Ke both laughed heartily, so much so that tears were about to come out of their eyes.

“Third Brother, what are you laughing at! I’m asking you a question. Has the Village Chief returned yet?” Xiao Yizi was a little angry.

“Not yet.” Li Ke smiled and said, “He … still has some things to do. When he’s done, he’ll come back to play with you.”

“I don’t want him to play with me.” ‘”I want him to see the portrait I drew for him. Father said that he would build a Ling Yan Pavilion and bring in the portraits of the heroes of the Tang Dynasty. The other heroes were all painted by my teacher (Yan Liben); only the village chief was painted by me!” Little Yin pouted his lips and murmured, “I want him to see the portrait.”

“Is that so? Little Xiaosi is really amazing!” Li Ke nodded lightly and smiled, “When he comes back, I will definitely let him come to the palace to look for you and see this portrait, alright?”

“Alright, it’s a deal!” Only then did Xiao Xiaozi smile happily.

“Little Nun, be good. Father Emperor wants to talk to your third brother about something. You can go and enjoy the chrysanthemums with Nanny and the others first! Later, Father Emperor will teach you calligraphy.” Li Shimin smiled.

Xiao Yi obediently left.

Li Ke greeted Li Shimin and said, “Father Emperor, Guanxi Army’s main force of 300,000 troops has already returned to the court for many days. My son has issued an edict that Duke Li Ji of England will return to Chang’an in a few days. I would like to ask Father Emperor how the 300,000 troops should be organized and who should be in charge?”

Li Shimin leaned lazily on the throne and said, “Why don’t you have a suitable candidate?”

“It’s a matter of military and national importance. Your son still wishes to ask what father Emperor means.”

“Since I let you supervise the country, I will leave all these matters to you.” Li Shimin said, “What’s the matter with the country? Can’t you handle it?”

Li Ke smiled bitterly and said, “I’ll tell you what I think.” This son believes that Guanxi Army is the elite division of our Great Tang. Not only is it a valiant army with strict discipline, but it is more important that this army is very united and forbidden. This son believes that this army should not be dismantled and reorganized after returning to the dynasty, so that it can be returned to the various military mansions. When they were summoned back in time of war, the morale of the army would be dissipated. Therefore, my son suggested that the original Great General Guanxi Army continue to lead this army. Let them stay in Chang’an as the main force of Gong Wei Chang’an in the future. ”

Li Shimin did not comment, but said, “Whatever you think makes sense, do it.”

“Your son suggests that the four pillars of Guanxi Army continue to serve as Guanxi Army’s commander-in-chief.” Li Ke said, “Earlier, Father Emperor issued a decree to form a new army of two Guards, the Left and Right Dragon Martial Guards.” After the Battle of Pingfan, the left and right Dragon Martial Guards had died in name because of the casualties and various reasons for returning to the manor, resulting in the loss of staff and chaos in the organization. Therefore, my son suggested that Pang Fei and Guanxi Army’s number one general, Xue Rengui, be appointed as the new general of the Left and Right Dragon Martial Guards. These two guards usually guarded the Imperial Capital Imperial City; “In wartime, as the vanguard’s main force, destroy the city and uproot the village.”

“Alright.” Li Shimin finally expressed his stance and said, “You need to work harder to make everyone convinced of the transfer of generals. Originally, Qin Tong and Li Junxian were both prosecutors. Now that Pang Fei and Xue Rengui have been officially appointed as generals, you need to appease them first.”

“Your son obeys the decree.”

“By the way, did you just say … Four Court Pillars?” Li Shimin frowned slightly, “I seem to remember that other than the Four Court Pillars, there is also the Eight Army Stage in the Kansai Army?”

“Yes.” Li Ke said, “In the kansai army, good officials gathered.” The four court pillars and eight military platforms were all great contributors to one side, and they were also rare tiger generals in the world. Especially the Four Court Pillars. Su Dingfang was now in charge of the Western Regions. Pang Fei had once acted as the Great Governor of Lanzhou. Xue Rengui was a rare genius in a hundred years. After calming down the Western Regions, the rest of the Eight Military Terraces were ordered by Qin Mubai to establish their own Governor-General’s Mansion. Now, they are temporarily in charge of their own side of the Western Regions to protect the people of the Great Tang … Only Yuwen Hongtai, one of the four pillars, has left with Qin Mubai. ”

After pondering for a moment, Li Shimin said, “Since you are a talented person, you should use them seriously. After a while, the Western Regions will stabilize and transfer the Eight Military Platforms back to Chang’an. They will hold important positions in the Left and Right Dragon Martial Guards, or other important positions in the Wei Palaces.”

At this point, Li Shimin paused meaningfully and said, “In the future, they can also serve in the Six Rates.”

Li Ke’s heart trembled.

The Crown Prince’s personal guard, Donggong Liuliu?

Hearing this, Li Ke’s heart was not pleasantly surprised, but gradually relieved. Just now, he had intentionally mentioned Guanxi Army, the Four Court Pillars, and the Eight Military Stages in front of Li Shimin to test his father’s attitude towards these people. Now, things had proven that after Qin Mubai left, the Guanxi Army generals were no longer a “power group”. The Imperial Court could easily control them and absorb them, allowing them to be measured.

Moreover, the intention behind Li Shimin’s words was very obvious-he hoped that Guanxi Army would be able to unite around Li Ke and become a powerful arm to consolidate his position as Crown Prince!

The father and son were silent for a moment before Li Shimin suddenly said, “Qin Mubai … Any news?”

Li Ke said softly, “He is still in Mobei. It’s almost winter. It’s cold and snowy on the grassland desert, so it’s not convenient to travel far. He will probably stay there for another three to four months before heading to the Western Regions.”

Li Shimin nodded and said, “What about your marriage?”

Li Ke frowned and said, “Father, please choose a daughter from a famous family for me … to get married!”

Li Shimin chuckled, “Why is it that someone refused to marry him? Is he discouraged?”

Li Ke smiled and said, “People have their own aspirations. You can’t force them. It’s natural that the two of them have their own ideas now. Shuang’er wrote me a letter saying that it’s better to forget about Jianghu than to be immersed in each other. Perhaps we really have no destiny. We can only miss each other and not be together.”

Li Shimin’s expression did not change at all. He said indifferently, “Ke’er, you are just like father. But remember, the heavens are fair to everyone: the more you get, the more you lose. Don’t think that you will lose more than you gain.”

“This son understands” Li Ke sighed softly and furrowed his brows. “This son is now ordered to supervise the country, and treat all matters of state as the most important. This son’s marriage is no longer just my personal matter, but a brown matter of state. Therefore, this son asks father Emperor and mother Imperial Concubine to make the decision to confirm this marriage.”

Li Shimin gently nodded, “I know.”

“Father Emperor, what other reprimand do you have?”

“Remember, whether it is the emperor’s own cultivation or the use of officials to raise people, in times of peace, the first level of virtue is cultivation. In times of crisis, one should use one’s skill.” Li Shimin said, “It’s fine, you go!”

“Your son will retire …”

After bidding farewell to Li Shimin, Li Ke slowly walked in the Imperial Garden and pondered over Li Shimin’s last sentence. He thought in his heart, “Father Emperor must be implying something when he suddenly said this to me.” In times of peace, the first layer of virtue; In times of crisis, one should use one’s skill-was this talking about Qin Mubai?

According to Emperor Father’s words, a person like Qin Mubai could only be considered average according to the moral requirements of Confucianism. At the very least, he could not be compared to many great Confucian scholars and True Monarchs in the court. However, he was indeed a talented person with outstanding abilities. Whether it was to use troops to govern the people, he had his own uniqueness.

In the past few years, Qin Mubai had gone from Lanzhou to Lanzhou and made many shocking moves. From moving people into Lanzhou, opening markets, monopolizing grain markets, collecting taxes for their own use, to recruiting and expanding troops, surrendering rebels, deceiving enemies, including privately activating Hou Junji, and a series of subsequent actions of Hou Junji, Qin Mubai could be counted as blame.

According to the standards of secular etiquette, Qin Mubai’s actions were ridiculous and out of line. In other words, in the eyes of many old scholars, he was actually an unruly official with “bad character” and “unofficial character”.

However, Qin Mubai could not send ten thousand old masters to accomplish such great deeds alone.

In retrospect, Li Ke felt that his father’s words just now had really punctured the emperor’s path of employing people–using virtue in prosperous times and using energy in troubled times!

“Mubai, I finally understand why you resigned.” “You are a pragmatic person and you don’t want to lose your reputation,” Li Ke thought to himself. After the war was over, the Great Tang would surely return to civil rule. If you return to the dynasty, you will work with countless Confucian scholars and old masters. You will also throw away your sword and pick up your pen and ink, doing the same thing as them. Although you are famous throughout the world, most of the Wensheng officials in the court may not really respect you from the bottom of their hearts and accept you. What awaits you will be endless intrigue and treachery, and even settling accounts in the autumn. Once upon a time, there was a huge stack of memorials to impeach you on Father Emperor’s Imperial Court. I know that …

“How similar is this to the Hou Jun Ji from back then?”

“Alright, I won’t force you again! But just as my father said, if the Great Tang is in trouble, you must stand up and fight alongside me!”

Thinking about this, Li Ke smiled bitterly. Qin Mubai, ah, Qin Mubai, I’m looking forward to seeing you now, but I don’t want to see you anymore! If we don’t see each other, it means that everything is fine in the Great Tang; If we meet, then the Great Tang will be in trouble!

“What should we do?”

“Could it be that I really agree with that … why don’t we miss each other when we meet?”